Poet's Prose Packs A Punch

December 12, 1993|By FELICIA MASON Daily Press

Maya Angelou reintroduced poetry to the forefront of American culture when she read "On the Pulse of Morning" during the inauguration of Bill Clinton. Sales of her previous works exploded off the shelves of bookstores across the country.

And now Angelou has returned with a little volume that packs a powerhouse punch.

Maya Angelou never fails to give her readers something to think about, things to ponder late in the night and when the troubles of the world seem insurmountable. In "Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now," a series of short essays, she dispenses wisdom and humor and plain old common sense.

The 24 essays range from as short as a paragraph to as long as seven pages. Two include poems. There's a touch of humor at the end of some serious thoughts. And there are lessons for life in many of them.

Angelou decries racism, rejoices in the sensualness of being a woman, metes out punishment to the acknowledged ignorant and teaches brotherhood. "People who may differ from you in political stance, sexual persuasion, and racial inheritance can be founts of fun, and if you are lucky, they can become even convivial comrades," she writes in the essay "Living Well. Living Good."

"Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art."

The majesty and power so evident in many of Maya Angelou's poems like "And Still I Rise" come shining through in the essays. The short takes are full of the insight Angelou has garnered in her 60-some years.

In "Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now," Sister Maya talks one on one with the reader, straight up and from the heart. Grow and learn and be inspired by her wisdom.